Namath provides inspiration for Bearcats

By
wbng sports

May 28, 2013Updated Dec 2, 2013 at 2:37 PM EST

Vestal, NY (WBNG Binghamton) A day before taking off for Raleigh, NC and the NCAA Tournament the Binghamton University baseball team received some last-minute encouragement from former Jets quarterback Joe Namath. Namath Skyped with the team Tuesday on the BU campus, telling them to believe in themselves.

"You're going to go out there to win and you can win, there's nothing that says you can't," Namath said to the team. "You just got to make the plays."

Namath is a friend of sophomore Jake Thomas's family, and agreed to give the team a little advice before leaving for the regionals. The Pro Football Hall-of-Famer told the Bearcats there's no reason they can't win the entire tournament. That's something fellow America East member Stony Brook nearly did last season.

The SeaWolves rode a hot-streak all the way to the College World Series a year ago, and while Binghamton says they are a different team, they are playing well on both sides of the ball.

"To tell you the truth, I think Stony Brook showed us last year, if a team gets hot at the right time, anything can happen and I feel if our team is playing, firing on all cylinders, playing great baseball right now," said BU third baseman David Schanz.

The Bearcats will certainly need to be firing on all cylinders once more this weekend. BU faces regional host N.C. State Friday at 7 p.m. The Wolfpack was given the ninth overall seed by the NCAA Committee.